(Photo by Stringer/Getty Images)From Italy to India to the United States, governments rolled out tougher measures to halt the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic as global cases surged past 300 000 on Sunday and Asia braced for a possible second wave of infections. The pandemic has sparked fears of a global recession, prompting governments to unleash gigantic emergency measures to avoid an economic meltdown. In his weekly prayer - now being streamed live to avoid crowds gathering - the Pope urged all Italians to follow isolation measures. The Middle East also remains on high alert, where Iran - which suffered a major outbreak - reported 129 deaths on Sunday. El Salvador joined several central and South American countries in imposing quarantine measures on Saturday, as Colombia announced its first coronavirus death.

Source: News 24 March 22, 2020 13:07 UTC